Hi,

I moved from South London to Cape Town with my wife and daughter in February 2007 and have found it to be a wonderful place to live. The people are genuinely warm and friendly and the scenery stunning. The racial groups, primarily white, black and cape coloureds, still live in distinct geographic areas, however, and there is further polarisation in respect of, for example, native Afrikaans and English speaking sub-communitees.

A visitor or prospective ex-pat is right to be wary of the security situation in all South African cities. During the day, most public areas such as beaches, shopping malls and tourist attractions around Cape Town feel quite safe. Security guards are never far away and there is a reasonably visible Police presence.

The rich (including anyone paid a reasonable UK living wage) live in safer neighbourhoods and secure properties, and you're right, Armed Response is quite common although don't be fooled by the fact that every home seems to be fitted with an ADT sign board. Many people don't actually bother having it connected.

We live in a secure estate surrounded by high perimiter fences with controlled entry, and our house also has ADT Armed Response, and I would recommend that any newcomer should take similar precautions. The biggest danger is coming home and disturbing a burglar. Burglary and theft from cars are probably the most prevelent crimes in Western Cape.

Drugs are a big problem in South Africa and a particularly destructive amphetamine called Tic is very popular at present. The black townships around Cape Town, politely referred to as "informal settlements", more commonly by locals as "squatter camps" or "the shacks", and by foreigners as "shanty towns", are awash with it. Many camp inhabitants are from the Eastern Cape or other African countries. The conditions in which they live are hard and dangerous, and although not everyone carries firearms, there are guns around. So disturbing a burglar, desperate through poverty and drug addiction and possibly armed, is not a good idea. So keeping the armed response on at night and whenever you are out is the best plan. If it is activated whilst you are out, ADT will call your cellphone and tell you, and will visit the property to check things out before you go back in.

We regularly explore the mountain and drive around at night, but would not tend to walk far after dark. From restaurant to car, for example, is generally ok but we would avoid a midnight walk on the beach.

By far the majority of violent crime is experienced within the townships and poorer housing areas. Shootings and stabbings relating to gang crime and other disputes are common, as is domestic violence. Obviously, as a visitor, do not ever enter an area of shacks or a visibly poor or run down residential area on your own. There are safe tours to be found and one enterprising township that I am aware of actually hosts dinners for tourists. I haven't been on one but I am told that the food is absolutely excellent.

Many shacks residents are employed by white people and our own domestic assistant, Eunice, lives in a shack in our local camp in Hout Bay, known as Mandela Park. We regularly collect her from the camp and altough I would definitely not want to walk through it at night, it doesn't feel as threatening as you might imagine.

So, overall, you are unlikely to get robbed at the traffic lights ("Robots" is the official name for them here!) during the day in Cape Town. You'll experience a few black guys trying to sell you things when you stop from time to time, but that's all. You can get out of the car, walk down the street, go for a beer or a meal, and play on the beaches. Stay away from areas that are obviously very poor or rundown. Take precautions at home, and never leave anything of value in your car because it is likely to be stolen. Conversely, if the car is left empty it is probably less likely to be taken or vandalised than in London, however. Don't walk about in the city in the dark as muggings of tourists are quite common. It happened to a good friend of mine but he was so obviously a tourist, carrying valuables, in a quiet part of the city centre at night. If someone does try to mug you, he'll probably wave a knife around and demand money. Give it to him without argument, and most of the time, he'll run away.

The stories about car-jacking and ramming come more from Johannesburg - all Jo'burgers have a story about something that happened to them, or someone close to them. Cape Town, however, is not so bad providing that you use common sense.

It is a truly beautiful city inhabited by some of the most colourful and open-minded people you will ever meet. A visit to Cape Town and the surrounding Western Cape is a truly unique experience which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone. But unless you like the rain and wind, avoid 1 April to 30 September. The "mediterranean climate" is a falicy. The winter is chilly and wet, with occasional nice days. It starts to pick up in October. December is windy and January to March really hot.

If you are serious about moving here you will find that most houses are typically not equipped for the winter. Central heating is very rare and most homes rely on open fires or paraffin and electric heaters. We found a cheap electric blanket a real asset in July and August. Firewood is widely available but only cheap in bulk and after heavy rainstorms it can be difficult to buy good dry wood. Apartments tend to be warmer, of course. It's just worth bearing in mind when you look for somewhere that the winters are colder than you might imagine, so look out for good window frames, wall heaters and well positioned fireplaces and firewood storage.

Keltic.